www.swannsecurity.com
$999
There are a lot of home products designed to make you feel more secure, but a lot of them are designed to protect one room (a hidden camera) or one product (anti-theft software or hardware for your computer or laptop). Well, if you want a gadget that makes you feel lik you’re living in a secured compound, Swann’s DVR4 Pro-Net Combo Kit may be just the thing, with four cameras that see in light or in the dark, a digital video recorder that can record all four cameras for days at a stretch before it runs out of space, and a tiny little monitor to view it all on. It’s not a bad bundle for $999 but there are some limitations: notably, all of the cameras are hardwired and powered, so you’ll need to run cable (60 feet per camera is included in the box) and find enough power outlets to accommodate all of the cameras. You CAN plug the power adapters all in at a central location and run power through the cable, or you can plug them in at the remote location. If you’re willing to string cables and drill holes, though, you can keep an eye on what’s going on around the house—either inside or out. One nice benefit: the connectors are pretty much all standard, so you can plug in your own cameras or use your own monitor, if you prefer.

Shiny
- monitors four cameras
- records all four cameras
- pretty good picture quality
- works in the dark
Dull
- high initial investment
- setup takes time
- menu system complicated
- not wireless

DVR4-Pro-Net Combo Kit
Swann Monitoring